Primarily Speaking

Welcome to another edition of Primarily Speaking, because presidential primaries now begin fully one million years before the election!

The clusterfuckery of the first debate has people revisiting DNC Chair Tom Perez's garbage decision to dilute the nominating power of party members, and, yep, that was definitely a shitty move. Capitulating to people who weren't Democrats on the future of the party was monumentally stupid.

Speaking of garbage decisions, Donald Trump is reportedly planning to live-tweet the Democratic debate next week, and I can't wait to not pay attention to that shitshow!

Meanwhile, Trump is officially kicking off his reelection campaign tonight with a big rally that he's promised will be "wild," and that sure sends a chill down my spine. His deplorable cultists have been lining up since yesterday to get in, and that is also terrifying.

I'm honestly not sure if any of the Democratic candidates are prepared and capable of holding their ground against the juggernaut that his criminal campaign will be, especially with virtually the entire political press carrying water and setting off fireworks for him. (Or his empty podium.)

I say virtually, because there are still some outlets practicing both reason and decency. Take, for instance, the Orlando Sentinel, which has marked the occasion of Trump's reelection launch by endorsing not him. "Donald Trump is in Orlando to announce the kickoff of his re-election campaign. We're here to announce our endorsement for president in 2020, or, at least, who we're not endorsing: Donald Trump. Some readers will wonder how we could possibly eliminate a candidate so far before an election, and before knowing the identity of his opponent. Because there's no point pretending we would ever recommend that readers vote for Trump. After 2½ years we've seen enough." 🔥

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Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro has released part one of his "People First Housing" initiative, noting on Twitter: "Today I released part one of my People First Housing platform to solve the affordable housing crisis & end homelessness in the U.S. Housing is a human right—my plan would ensure that all Americans can get access to affordable, safe, and healthy housing." Terrific stuff.

Castro also tweeted about Trump's despicable nativist malice: "Donald Trump is officially kicking off his 2020 campaign today the same as his 2016 campaign: spewing racist lies and fear mongering about immigrants. We must fight back to protect our nation from his cruel agenda."

Senator Amy Klobuchar has published a list of 100-plus executive orders she would sign during her first 100 days in office. She says: "After four years of Donald Trump, a new president can't wait for a bunch of congressional hearings to act. The urgent problems our country is facing require immediate action. That's why in my first 100 days as president I will enact an ambitious, optimistic agenda..."

Um, no. Clearly, I understand the desire for this, especially given Republican obstructionism, but absolutely not. The U.S. president is not a dictator, and I categorically cannot get behind a "first 100 days" agenda that is nothing but executive orders. This is basically throwing one's hands in the air and saying, "Welp, the Republican destroyed our democracy so here's how I will rule by fiat if you give me the chance!" Nope.

I linked this in comments yesterday, but just in case anyone missed it: Here is a very detailed profile of Senator Elizabeth Warren at the New York Times, if you want to read more about her background.

Senator Cory Booker is tweeting about transmisogynoir: "This is a crisis. We need to call it what it is. If we're not talking about how to protect trans women of color and denouncing the targeting and hate they face, then we're contributing to it. Silence in the face of injustice is complicity."

Senator Kamala Harris is tweeting about state-sanctioned homophobia: "The State Department is refusing to allow #Pride flags to fly at American embassies around the world. This is disgraceful — as LGBTQ+ people continue to face discrimination at home & abroad, it's critical that we signal our support internationally. They must reverse this policy."

Governor Jay Inslee is still advocating for a climate debate: "We need a #ClimateDebate. I'm not backing down, and I hope you aren't either. Raise your voice now."

Senator Bernie Sanders hopes that Big Papi feels better: "Hoping for a full recovery for Red Sox great David 'Big Papi' Ortiz, one of the most outstanding and popular baseball players in recent memory."

Joe Biden claims he's raised nearly $20 million, telling "supporters at a Manhattan fundraiser Monday night that his presidential campaign has raised money from 360,000 donors, with an average contribution of $55 — figures that suggest he has amassed nearly $20 million so far. ...It is unclear whether the Biden campaign intended to release his figures publicly." LOL.

Governor Steve Bullock, who didn't qualify for the first debate, will hold "town halls in Iowa and New Hampshire on both nights of the back-to-back debates," so if you're a real Bullock-head who's been despairing about his exclusion from the debate, maybe you can watch his town halls streaming on MySpace or something.

John Hickenlooper is still definitely running for president.

Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.